JD(S) MLA demands expulsion of Revanna, son; says charges against them embarrassing

A JD(S) MLA on Monday demanded the expulsion from the party of MLA and former Minister H D Revanna and his son and MP Prajwal, who have been booked for sexual harassment and criminal intimidation by the police.

The Karnataka government has constituted a Special Investigation Team to probe an alleged sex scandal involving the 33-year-old Prajwal, who is the grandson of JD(S) supremo and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda.

The FIR registered against Revanna and Prajwal had been referred to the SIT.

Some explicit video clips allegedly involving Prajwal Revanna, the BJP-JD(S) alliance’s candidate from Hassan which went to polls on Friday, had started making the rounds in Hassan in recent days.

The MLA from Mulbagal in Kolar district Samruddhi V Manjunath said the charges against the father-son duo have embarrassed the party workers so much that they do not wish to even take the name of their party.

“In the recent days, ‘Hassan’s Leelas’ are shining all over in the media, which has not just embarrassed ordinary workers in the state, but they feel ashamed to even mention the name of the party,” the MLA said in a post on ‘X’.

“As a first-time MLA, I am in a pitiable situation of not being able to answer the questions asked by the media,” he said. “If an MLA faces such a difficult situation, think about the situation of ordinary workers.”

He said it was high time Deve Gowda and state party President and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy took an “appropriate decision.”

“I request you to decide what is important for you — whether you want the future of 19 MLAs or Revanna and his Prajwal of your family. I request that Revanna and Prajwal, who are accused, be expelled from the party within 24 hours, to save the party’s principles and save us from embarrassment,” Manjunath said.